this morning, terrifying flight. >> a mid-air scare for hundreds of passengers overnight. one hitting a pocket of turbulence so severe, people thought they were really going to die. also, a transatlantic trip delayed when a plane forced back to the u.s. cities in crisis. the growing ranks of towns that can't pay their bills. victims of the recession. another major city voting for bankruptcy overnight. fight of his life. a teenager versus a hungry gator. he explains his life-or-death decision. and cookie monster gone viral. ♪ this is crazy but you got cookie ♪ ♪ so share it, maybe >> giving a unique twist to one of the summer's hit songs.

good wednesday morning. i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. >> we know you'll stay tuned for that cookie monster story. as of now, we begin with two major in-flight scares overnight. an american airlines jet traveling from aruba to miami, was hit with turbulence before landing. passengers describe those few terrifying seconds. >> i never felt it -- something like that in the past. basically, with the noise and the bumps, you just think you're going down. >> we were going to die. that we were going to die. thought we were going to die. it was scary. it was. >> you see the fear in that man's face. two flight attendants had to be taken to the hospital once the

plane arrived safely in miami. the shaken-up passengers were treated by paramedics there at the airport. and in philadelphia, five people were taken to the hospital after crew members onboard a u.s. airways jet got sick from a strong odor in the cabin. the plane had been traveling from charlotte to rome, when it was forced to make an emergency landing. no passengers got sick. much more on both of these stories later on "good morning america." also developing overnight, for the third time, in just two weeks, a california city has voted to declare bankruptcy, joining a coast-to-coast cascade of cities now in crisis. they're tapped out and taking some pretty drastic measures. just hours ago, san bernardino, california, with over 200,000 people joined the list. the city council voting to file for bankruptcy protection. san bernardino is in the hole. and it's warning its workers it might not be able to make its

payroll in the next three months. on june 28th, stockton, california, was the biggest u.s. city to declare bankruptcy. last week, mammoth lakes, california, went chapter 9. all facing the housing bust, mounting revenues and debt. and hard times are getting harder in scranton, pennsylvania, with a fierce battle between the city and its workers. the mayor declined a court record and forced employees to $7.25 an hour. that's the minimum wage. >> the reality is, because council underfunded their budget, we don't have money. we have enough money to pay minimum wage. >> reporter: but angry union members say they can't live like this. >> most members i talked to, because they live paycheck to paycheck, i might have savings to go on a vacation right now and make sure that the bills get paid. but after a couple weeks, i'm going to be in some real financial hardship here. >> reporter: no one know where's the money will come from. scranton is struggling with a

budget deficit of almost $17 million. >> a sign of the times that is. the unions are trying to have mayor doherty held in contempt of court. on top of that, they have filed federal lawsuits against the city. the mayor did slash his own pay to $7.25 an hour. the republican-led house is expected to vote to repeal president obama's health care law. gop lawmakers spent yesterday blasting the 2-year-old law as a threat to the nation's economic recovery. the vote is symbolic in this election year. it's the 33rd time the house has tried to repeal or defund the health care law. we may learn more today about the medical mystery surrounding congressman jesse jackson jr. there's been growing pressure on the illinois democrat to reveal what's kept him away from capitol hill for weeks. his staff has said that jackson's condition was much more serious than originally thought and required inpatient care. and from the presidential race this morning, the possibility that mitt romney could announce his vice

presidential pick earlier than usual. in colorado, romney talked about naming his running mate early to raise more money and to better compete with president obama and vice president joe biden. if romney makes an announcement early, it could come next week. that's before he leaves for the olympics and the middle east. six months after a deadly disaster at sea, the captain of "the coast to concordia" is speaking out about the ship wreck. he says he was distracted by a phone conversation just before the cruise ship smashed into a reef off the coast of italy and sank, killing 32 people. ska tino is accused of manslaughter. he blames himself for the distraction. but says destiny played a role in the disaster. a psychologist says a jetblue pilot that creamed about terrorists, had a psychotic disorder due to lack of sleep. clayton osbon was found guilty by insanity after the incident. it adds specifics to how much

time a pilot must get to rest. the heat wave and other weather extremes plaguing much of the world is being blamed on man-made climate change. scientists say they have evidence that global warming has accelerated. and it's increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather events. 2011 show rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers and the second-smallest area of ice on record. they did not make any link between any particular weather event and global warming itself. the numbers there are staggering. something is going on. >> something is. >> and deserves immediate attention. time, now, for a look at today's weather. a shans of scattered showers around philly and d.c. also, thunderstorms and flooding from the carolina to florida and texas. stormy in the southwest, from new mexico to colorado. >> heating up in the west. 90s in the rockies. and triple digits from sacramento to phoenix. 80s from the dakotas to the east

coast. 90s around new orleans and dallas. coming up after the break, who says there's no much thing as a free lunch? why this is a great week, in fact, to score some giveaways at a restaurant near you. plus, the teenager terrorized by a giant alligator. why sacrificing his arm saved his life. and a rout at the all-star game. lopsided results with some implications for october.

welcome back, everybody. there is some good news this morning about the job market. u.s. employers seem to be

hiring. they posted 200,000 more jobs in may than the month before. that was the second-highest level, almost four years, in fact. 13 million people still unemployed, there's still 3 1/2 job seekers for every opening. american airlines is now looking at potential mergers. reports say the bankrupt carrier is considering five other airlines, including u.s. airways, which has been courting american for months. analysts say two other airlines, delta and united, are too big for a merger to get government approval. and google reportedly will pay a $22.5 million fine because it allegedly bypassed privacy settings in apple 's safari browser. it takes five hours for google to make the money to cover that fine. >> must be nice. overseas markets are off slightly. that's because of disappointing earnings reports from the u.s. tokyo's nikkei average slipped 7 points today. hong kong's hang seng was off 34. and in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow fell 83

points yesterday. the nasdaq index lost 29. well, a big box retailer and luxury department store are teaming up for the holidays. target and neiman marcus will be offering specially-created gift items by top designers. everything from children's clothing to pet accessories. prices will range from $8 to $400. and a spokesman warns some items may sell out quickly. great news here. the next few days could be a great time to get free food. 7-eleven, chick-fil-a and dippen dots are giving away free samples. to get a free chick-fil-a sandwich, you have to dress like a cow. check the company's websites for all the details. i would dress like a cow for the polynesian sauce, the waffle fries and the lemonade at chick-fil-a. >> i like dippen dots.

>> that's good stuff, too. when we come back, the end of cavities just around the corner? the discovery that could change going to the dentist forever. and on top of that, this wild accident caught on tape. a man launched straight through his sunroof. i've been coloring liz's hair for years. but lately she's been coming in with less gray than usual. what's she up to? [ female announcer ] root touch-up by nice'n easy has the most shade choices,

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delays are possible in charlotte, atlanta, new orleans and houston. now, this morning, a stunning story of survival. it comes from florida and matches a teenage boy versus a hungry alligator. 17-year-old calleb langdale and his friends were swimming when the 10 1/2-foot gator attacked. >> it wound up with langdale's arm in its mouth. and it wasn't letting go. langdale knew a life-and-death decision had to be made. >> he started pulling many e down. and i knew it was either, i have to lose this arm or i'm going to die. so, i took my feet and i put it on his mouth. and i tried to jerk my arm off, trying to break it free. and it finally broke free what i thought. and i started swimming back. and i felt a little tug. like a tendon or muscle was attached to my arm. >> langdale's arm is gone below his elbow. the alligator was killed.

a's arm was found inside. but it was too late to try to reattach it. hear more from calleb later on "gma." >> tough guy. some incredible pieces of video to show you this morning, starting in arizona, where several people were lucky to escape their hot air balloon trip unscathed. >> five people were onboard when the basket started bouncing on the ground. no injuries were reported. a few rows of crops seemed to get the worst of it. check out the mess a woman survived in washington state. those are dozens of long, wooden poles that impaled her car, after she ran into the back of a truck that was carrying them. the driver escaped serious injury. and the officer summed it up saying she could have very easily been killed. and from england, some stunning video. the male passenger in that crash flies out of the car sunroof. it happened after his girlfriend

lost control of the vehicle. he was unhurt. she was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving but was later released without charge. and a mystery in the waters of lake tahoe. this three-story, $3 million party yacht somehow sank. it's not clear what caused the boat to go down. but neighbors remember hearing the sound of tearing metal monday night. one man says the "sierra rose" was so ugly, someone had to sink it. harsh. medical news. dentists in chile have found a way to cavity-proof your teeth. a discovery that may virtually remove the need for their own profession. they've created a new chemical that wipes out tooth-decaying bacteria in 60 seconds. it could be added to products like toothpaste and mouthwash. it could hit the markets in less than 18 months. >> where does that when we were growing up? the tour de france resumes today, a day after a french

rider was arrested as part of an illegal drugs investigation. meanwhile, back here at home, the all-star game, a blowout. highlights from our man at espn. >> good morning. cole wright here for your "sportscenter" update. let's head to kansas city, missouri, for the all-star game. justin verlander. top one. national league out in front, 1-0, when pablo sandoval barrels up a fastball. that's a triple to right field. bangs that one off the barrier. three runs come home. it's a 4-0 zip n.l. a top two, n.l.mvp, ryan braun at the dish. here comes joey bats. inning over. top four, now. 6-0, national league. melky cabrera. he had a structured settlement but needs cash now. it's an 8-0, national league lead. chipper jones, final all-star

game. gets a standing "o." here, squeaks one through the right side. past ian kinsler. dickey in the home half of the sixth. facing mike trop. slaps one to center. the youngest all-star in history with a hit. dickey gets cabrera to roll into the 6-4-3. that inning over. bottom nine now. cinco ocho time. he flies one right there. that's what your local grocer calls a can of corn. n.l. win this 8-0. make a note, the 20th installment of the espys. the top player of the year will be revealed. plus, you can make your voice heard as far as the best plays in the last 20 years are concerned. it's wednesday, on espn, brought to you by capital one. all right. coming up next, "the pulse" this morning and a sneak peek at what team usa will be sporting at the opening ceremony of the

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♪ hey, i just met you and this is crazy ♪ that, of course, the song of the summer. "call me maybe," already tiring to some. but not to preschoolkids.

>> it has spawned countless online versions. the latest from cookie monster himself. listen to his creative lyrics. ♪ and this is crazy but you got cookie ♪ ♪ so, share it maybe cake with frosting ♪ ♪ it no phase me but you got cookie ♪ ♪ so, share it maybe >> he continues to really freak out. call the girl scouts. >> that's the remix. and this jam, me going off my rocker, call me better crocker. brilliant stuff from the people at "sesame street." cookie amongster, a huge hit online. 1 million views so far. >> i love it. millions love the sound of susan boyle's voice, of course. but her neighbors in scotland, not so much. they're going to court, now, claiming that the "britain's got talent" star sings all hours of

the day and night. a situation they're describing as unbearable. >> but a spokesman for susan boyle says both sides have been engaged in a long-running feud. and that the lawsuit is old news. we'll see. and finally, now, we know what every american athlete will be wearing to the opening ceremony at the upcoming olympics in london. >> yes, indeed. ralph lauren, designed the uniforms with a per ray and red and white stripes. the men will have blue and double-breasted blazers, and a red and white tie. >> and the women's blazers will be matched with red, white and blue scarves. the hope is that the berets go over as well as those in 2002, which quickly sold out in salt lake city. i couldn't get one. >> you were there? >> i wanted one. >> you wanted one. >> i road to to order online. i couldn't get one. >> all right. >> maybe this year. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, could you >>[ maleveryone else, could you ] if you had a dollar for every dollar

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updating the top stories. passengers on a miami-bound flight describe a few seconds of terror when their plan was hit by severe turbulence. two flight attendants were hospitalized. san bernardino is the latest california city to declare bankruptcy. the city is $46 million in debt. and warning mun pal workers it mights by payroll. the vote is symbolic in this election year. there's no way such a repeal effort would make it through the senate. and a look at weather now. a chance of showers around philly and d.c. thunderstorms could cause flooding from albuquerque to dallas. and stormy from albuquerque to denver. and this morning, the anti-mcmansion. how new yorkers are squeezing their busy lifestyles into the

tiniest of spaces. >> new york mayor michael bloomberg is trying to make it easier to cram more people in this city. challenging developers to make shoe box apartments. amy robach looks inside. >> reporter: a lesson in small space. we went to graham hill's high-end convertible apartment. just 420-square feet. it can go from a living room, to two bedrooms, to a dining room for ten. how many chairs did you fit that that one closet? >> ten. >> reporter: and the kitchen? this microwave is also a convection oven. need some burners for your pots? take a look. pull them out of here and plug them in. then, we have our refrigerator in this drawer. a freezer down below it. and up here, everything has multifunctions and is stackable. even this wall is magnetized for spices. and instead of a trash can, there's an electric composter right here. next, we head to abc producer

lauren ephron's apartment. just 300-square feet. the size of two parking spaces. >> 300 even. i share it with my boyfriend. so, there's two of us in here. >> reporter: 150-square feet for each of you. >> this is how i go to bed every night. >> reporter: and everything serves a dual purpose. this table is multifunctional. >> this is a desk. an ironing board. this serves as an office. >> reporter: necessity breeds creativity. no more evident than in genevieve's apartment, where every night, she turns her shower into a dishwasher. do you think anybody could live like this? >> yes, absolutely. if you pare down your stuff and say this is what i need to survive. it's not like i'm living in the wilderness. i have a blender. i have a coffee pot. >> reporter: all you need to live in this concrete jungle.